Ezra's POV
The drive home was an exercise in quietude, but my mind was anything but tranquil. The muffled sounds of the road provided pure resonance for the sorrows in me.
I felt Layla's touch still tingling against my skin, almost like a remnant of a kiss that took place long ago. I could imagine her breathing- uneven and labored, her trembling hands clutched tightly until the moment of release. The look she gave me- conflicted, scared, and desperate- had been branded into my mind like a lucid dream.
I clenched the steering wheel tightly, jaw tightening. Somehow, it should have been expected. She had every reason to doubt me, every reason to hesitate. Orion had betrayed her trust and shattered her belief in love. But I am not him. I shall never be him.
The second I set foot
